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CBK licenses 29 more loan apps, taking the total to 281. How to check if your lender is legal.
The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has licensed 29 more digital credit providers, the companies behind most loan apps. That brings the number of licensed digital lenders to 281.
The approvals were announced on Wednesday, 30 September. CBK licensed 25 others in July, and has received more than 900 applications since 2022.
The numbers
By August 2026, licensed digital lenders had given out 9,596,509 loans worth Sh165.1 billion. Most loans are below Sh20,000.
Digital loans outstanding doubled from Sh55.2 billion at the end of 2024 to Sh110.1 billion at the end of 2025.
Loan accounts rose from about 4 million to 6.7 million over the same period. CBK notes that one person can have more than one account.
CBK says it checks each applicant's business model, how it protects customers, and whether its owners, directors and managers are fit to run a lender. The licensing rules came in after years of complaints about high charges, harsh debt collection, and lenders misusing borrowers' contacts and data.
What it means for you
Before you borrow, check that the app is on CBK's list of licensed digital credit providers, on the CBK website (centralbank.go.ke).
Look at the total amount you will repay, not only the daily or weekly fee.
A lender should not shame you to your contacts or share your data without your consent. If that happens, you can complain to CBK and to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.
Be wary of any app that asks for a "processing fee" before it gives you a loan.
Sources: Citizen Digital, The Star,, Techweez.
That was a Kibra News Network report, read by an A I voice.
The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has licensed 29 more digital credit providers, the companies behind most loan apps. That brings the number of licensed digital lenders to 281.
The approvals were announced on Wednesday, 30 September. CBK licensed 25 others in July, and has received more than 900 applications since 2022.
Graphic: Kibra News Network
The numbers
By August 2026, licensed digital lenders had given out 9,596,509 loans worth Sh165.1 billion. Most loans are below Sh20,000.
Digital loans outstanding doubled from Sh55.2 billion at the end of 2024 to Sh110.1 billion at the end of 2025.
Loan accounts rose from about 4 million to 6.7 million over the same period. CBK notes that one person can have more than one account.
CBK says it checks each applicant’s business model, how it protects customers, and whether its owners, directors and managers are fit to run a lender. The licensing rules came in after years of complaints about high charges, harsh debt collection, and lenders misusing borrowers’ contacts and data.
What it means for you
Before you borrow, check that the app is on CBK’s list of licensed digital credit providers, on the CBK website (centralbank.go.ke).
Look at the total amount you will repay, not only the daily or weekly fee.
A lender should not shame you to your contacts or share your data without your consent. If that happens, you can complain to CBK and to the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner.
Be wary of any app that asks for a “processing fee” before it gives you a loan.
KNN Newsroom is the staff byline for stories written, rewritten and edited at the Kibra News Network desk. Where a story credits an outside outlet, the original source is linked at the foot of the piece.
